Mother of the year
by Suiri
Summary: Temari finds herself the unwilling mother of a five year old boy.
1. Chapter 1

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Notes: Takes place during Naruto Shippuden…slightly AU. I don't own Naruto. Please don't sue.

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Mother of the year

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'If you be a good boy and wait here. Your okaa-san will come for you, ok?'

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**Chapter 1**

They came across the boy in the middle of the desert after leaving Konoha. He was small, maybe four years old at the most, dirty, and weighted down with sand. His brown hair stood out wildly in spikes and his lips were cracked and red. His clothes were torn and ragged, but other than that, he looked perfectly fine. Content, actually, to just sit there in the sand with wide brown eyes watching them.

Overall, Temari was not impressed or incline to sympathized with the kid. She ignored the whisperings of her companions behind her. She tossed a canteen of water at him and walked on pass, forcing her companions to follow. It was hot. Sweltering actually. It would take another three days before they reached Suna and after about a week of traveling already, she wanted nothing more than to get home and to her bed...Temari dusted off the sand that had gathered on her shoulders...and to a bath.

"Temari-dono," someone called to her.

Turning with annoyance, she waited for the jounin to speak.

"I'm sorry," he apologized when he noticed the irritation on Temari's face. "It's just that…well…he's following us."

"What?" Temari shifted on her feet to look pass the jounin's shoulder and fought the urge to groan. The kid that she had given the canteen to was behind them a few yards away. In his arms, he held the canteen closely to his chest as if he was holding the world's greatest treasure.

All she wanted was a bed and bath. Was that really to much to ask for? Temari rubbed her temple trying to will away the headache that she felt coming.

"Go away," she snapped at him. As if she needed to travel with another idiot.

When he didn't do as he was told, Temari felt her temper flare. She opened her mouth, ready to tell the kid off when they locked eyes.

In her mind, the boy's hair had shifted from golden-brown to bright red. His brown eyes changed to green, to match her own, and they were outline in black kohl. Tan skin turned pale and sickly. Features shifted until it overlapped with another face, one that she knew well and was afraid of. The symbol for love was black and angrily tattooed on the side of his temple.

The boy said nothing. He had no expression other than stoic and vague uncaring. The canteen in his arms was replaced with another image. One of a torn bear that had seen the worst and was pathetically patched and ragged.

Temari almost took a step back.

Her hands began to shake uncontrollably and she felt her legs tremble just the slightest bit. Her chest began to heave and tighten as the guilt almost crushed her with its intensity. Through her turmoil thoughts, the boy's face never changed from it's stony expression. Even though there were no tears. She felt him crying out. Unwittingly, Temari took a step forward and her hand reached out for Gaara.

"Temari-dono?"

The vision vanished abruptly. Jerking back her hand, Temari took a moment to straighten her composure. The child in front of her stared at her with curiosity and Temari fought the urge to curse. She turned around.

"Leave him," she said. She marched forward, determined not to look back.

Looking at one another, the jounins said nothing and were quick to follow after the irate sand nin.

"Temari-dono. A storm is coming," one jounin remarked. He pointed to a gathering of dark clouds off in the distance.

"Keep going," she ordered. It was just a little dark cloud. It would probably dissipate by the time they reached it. When the cloud did not dissipate as she had hoped, but instead grew larger, darker, and closer, Temari halted everyone and allowed them to set up camp.

They quickly pulled out the tarps from their packs and began to pitch tents. By the time they finished, it had already began to drizzle.

Temari ducked into her shelter, relieved at having some privacy. She untied the her weapon from her back and laid the iron fan next to her as she laid on her cot. She disinterestingly tossed a package of food off to the side as the sound of laughter came from the other tent. She closed her eyes.

The rain was coming down harder now. She could hear it patter, almost violently against the roof and the sides of her tent. She could feel the wind pushing, trying to rip it off its foundation.

"Great," Temari muttered.

Then, it thundered rather loudly. Before she could react, a small, heavy figure was already on top of her, clinging for dear life. Yelling, she reached over and grabbed her fan ready to swing. A sudden bolt of lightening sent in light through her open tent flap. It gave her a glimpse of her attacker's face.

Her attacker's _tear-streaked _face.

"Temari-dono!" The jounins busted into the already small tent almost causing it to collapse. They stop short.

Temari grabbed the back of the kid's shirt. She tried to throw him outside but he resisted, throwing his small arms around her neck and holding tight.

Temari turned blue.

Seeing her distress, the only other female in the group quickly came forward and tried to comfort the boy.

"Come on now," she soothed. "You have to let Temari-dono go. She can not breathe."

The boy loosen his grip but he didn't let go.

"Get off me," Temari snapped. She gestured for the others. Even with three jounins pulling and Temari pushing, the boy refused to release his hold. He tightened his grip when thunder rang out again. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and began to cry.

Unsure what to do, Temari looked for guidance. When the others gave her a blank stare, she sighed and gestured for them to go.

"Are you sure, Temari-dono?"

"Yes. Just go."

With that, Temari found herself alone again with a crying child on her lap. Awkwardly, she patted the boy on his back and tried to find the right words to soothe him. More than anything, she just wanted to toss the boy out and get some sleep.

"Stop crying," she said sternly. His sobbing had quiet down to just tears and he hiccupped occasionally. Much to her annoyance, the child still wouldn't remove his arms from around her.

Laying down on her cot, she shifted so that the top of his head rested below her chin. Her arms wrapped itself around the small body to hold him in place while she tried to find a comfortable position to sleep.

He cried out in fear again when the thunder clapped. Feeling tired, Temari rubbed his back gently and watched as he was content to snuggle into her embrace. Moments later, he was fast asleep.

Temari allowed her eyes to close.

When they opened again, it was morning. The storm had pass and outside she could hear the others packing their things for another long day of travel. Feeling the absent weight, Temari glanced down and noticed that the child was gone. A dream? God, she hope so.

Her hopes were dashed a moment later when she heard high pitched laughter coming from outside. Peering out of the tent, she watched as the boy cheerfully helped the jounins gather their things. His eyes were bright and merry with no trace of fright like during the storm.

One of the jounins said something and the boy eagerly dashed off.

"Ah, good morning, Temari-dono," they greeted her. Before she could say another word, she felt a pair of arms wrap itself around her thigh.

"Okaa-san," the boy said.

For a moment, everything froze.

Temari felt her eye twitch. "Listen kid, I don't know who you are, but I'm most definitely _not _your mother."

The boy shook his head solemnly. "Okaa-san," he said again. Nearby, Temari could feel the silent laughter coming from her companions as they continued to pack. They moved around, trying to be oblivious.

Temari gave them a withering look.

She spent the next five minutes trying to straighten the boy out. He called the other jounins by name. Touya-san. Mika-san. Jiro-san. But for Temari, he refused to call her anything else but Okaa-san.

Realizing that it was a lost cause, Temari moved to her tent. Her new shadow followed obediently behind her. He watched her every movement as she packed her gear and strapped her fan to her back. When she ducked out, Jiro and Touya were already taking down her tarp.

They were ready to go off again, ready to track through the desert and sand. Before that however…Temari grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and toss him into the arms of Mika.

"You take care of him," she ordered. She marched ahead.

Touya, the senior jounin of the group, quickly caught up.

"Temari-dono," he began. The wrinkles around his eyes seemed more pronounced as he spoke. " Is it safe to bring him? We don't know who he is. He could be a spy."

"It's not a genjustu or ninjutsu. He's a normal child," Temari waved off his concerns. " If he really is a spy, then he's the most pathetic spy I've ever met."

"Or the cleverest," Touya remarked.

Temari acknowledged his point. "Next break, question him."

"Yes, Temari-dono," he slinked back to join the others.

Temari glanced up at the clear sky. Two days. Two days until she was back at home. She abruptly picked up her pace. By mid-day they had made good time and Temari allowed them to take a break. She dismayed to find the kid popping himself down right next to her.

"You never did tell me your name," Touya said. He kneeled in front of the boy and offered a kind smile. The boy opened his mouth and closed it. He looked puzzled and turned to Temari.

"Okaa-san. What's my name?"

"How should I know?" she asked irritated.

The boy looked back at Touya. "Okaa-san says she doesn't know."

The other two snickered behind their hands.

"Nee, Chibi-chan, why do you think Temari-dono is your mother?" This question came from Jiro.

"He said so."

"He?"

"My otou-san. He told me that if I sit there and was a good boy, my Okaa-san will come for me."

"How long were you sitting there?" Mika asked. She sat beside the boy and placed her arm around his shoulders.

"A long time," he said solemnly. Temari discreetly eyed his blistering skin. It was at least three days worth of exposure. The kid was lucky his clothing, no matter how tattered and worn it was, protected most of his skin.

"Why do you think Temari-dono is your mother?" Jiro asked.

The boy dipped his footed sandal into the sand. "My otou-san said that my Okaa-san was really pretty and that she would come for me."

The boy looked up at Temari and gave a goofy smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her uniform. "I'm glad you came for me, Okaa-san. I was really scared by myself." Tears leaked from his eyes and onto her shirt.

"What do you think?" Temari asked Touya. They were on the road again. Making sure to shove the kid off on Mika, Temari walked ahead gesturing for Touya to join her.

"He was probably abandon. The father made up some half-cocked story about his mom coming to get him and then left him there waiting. Then we came along. It seems to be just a big misunderstanding."

Temari looked blankly ahead. "So fathers like that still exist." Ones that abandon their own children. She shook her head to clear the image of her own father out of her mind. "How old is the kid?"

"I'm five," the child said while holding up exactly five fingers. When they set up for camp later that night, nothing she said could dissuade the boy from her tent.

"Come on, kid," Temari leaned her back against the tent wall. She exasperatedly tried to get the boy to spend the night with someone else.

"I want to stay with Okaa-san," he said, stubbornly crossing his arms and pouting.

"Look. I'm only seventeen. I can't possibly be your mother. That meant I would had to have you at twelve!"

"You're my Okaa-san," he insisted. Exhausted, Temari gave up. She made room on her cot and watched as the boy excitingly climbed in. She was on the verge of drifting off when she was woken by small hands shaking her shoulders.

"Okaa-san," the voice pleaded.

Temari opened her eyes. "What?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," he said. He grabbed the front of his pants and whimpered. Temari toss to the other side of her cot.

"So go," she said. She closed her eyes again.

"It's dark."

"So?"

"I'm scared. Please, Okaa-san?"

Groaning, Temari got up and shoved the boy out of the tent. Using a flashlight she found in her pack, she waited impatiently as the boy did his business behind a sand dune. When they arrived back, Temari was unable to sleep thanks to the wiggle body next to her.

"Stop moving!"

"Sorry, Okaa-san." He was still. A few minutes later he was shifting again.

"I told you to stop moving!" She sat up. She glared down and noticed the tears.

"Okaa-san?"he whimpered. "My foot hurts."

"Fine. Let me look," she pulled back the cot sheet.

She yelp when she saw a black scorpion beside the boy's foot. Grabbing her fan she gently ushered the creature out and turned back to the boy. She gave a suffering sigh when she pull her pack out for the aid kit she carried. She quickly treated his wounded foot, treated his blisters while she was at it, and spent the night listening to the boy moan in pain.

By the time morning arrived, she only had an hour of sleep.

"Carry him, would you?" she gestured inside. " Don't wake him."

Jiro nodded. If any of the jounins noticed the bags under her eyes they wisely didn't mention it. Instead, they trudged behind her while the kid was sleeping comfortably in Jiro's arm.

One more day to go. One _long _day to go.

When the boy woke up he apologized to Temari for moving around so much. He had forgotten the bit about the scorpion, only remembering that he had disturbed his Okaa-san with his restless movements.

"I promise not to do it again," he said solemnly. Their last night in the desert, luckily, went without incident.

Later, when she saw the walls that guarded Suna, Temari couldn't resist. She hastily made her way down the last sand dune, leaving the others behind.

"Okaa-san!"

Temari ignored the boy and quickened her pace. She had almost reached the gates when the sounds of loud sobbing stopped her.

Apparently, being the clumsily boy he was, the child had tripped over his own two feet and was lying face first in sand, crying. He had fled from Jiro's arms, trying to catch up with her, only to stumble. Temari looked at the gate longingly. Then turning with slump shoulders, she made her way to the child.

"Big boys don't cry, you know." She roughly hustled the boy up to his feet and began brushing the sand from his clothes. She looked with some degree of disgust at the mess that was the boy's face. It was dirtied and mixed with tears, snot, and sand. Using her sleeve, she wiped his face clean.

"Come on." She grabbed his hand just as the other finally joined them. Together, they made their way to the gate. She showed her passport to the guards.

"Welcome home, Temari-sama." They stared at the boy by her side in curiosity.

"He's a guest of Suna," she said as she took her passport back. With that, she ushered the boy in.

Awed, the boy watched the crowds of people in the market place with fascination. Temari almost swelled up with pride when she noticed him looking around at her village.

"Is this where you come from, Okaa-san?"

"Yes. This is my hometown." She was so happy to be home, she even allowed the Okaa-san to go by quietly.

Jiro, Mika, and Touya drew up beside them. Picking the boy up, Jiro placed the boy on his shoulder much to the child's delight.

"Kid," he said. " Welcome to Suna."


	2. Chapter 2

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Mother of the year

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_"Kid." Jiro said. "Welcome to Suna."_

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**Chapter 2**

While the boy was distracted by all the sights and sounds, Temari thought she make a quick and quiet getaway.

"Okaa-san!"

The boy immediately noticed her leaving and called out in distress. Embarrassed, Temari noticed that the boy's cry was so loud it had attracted the attention of some of the people around them.

"Okaa-san!" The boy frantically tried to get off of Jiro's shoulder. "Okaa-san!"

"Alright. Alright. Stop screaming," Temari fought the urge to roll her eyes. She lifted the boy off of Jiro. She turned to the waiting jounins. "Go and report to the Kazekage. Tell him I'll be there later to turn in my report."

With that she teleported with a poof.

Her apartment was small. Just one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen, and a living room. It was more then enough space for a single nin to live comfortable in. Most of the rooms were bare, devoid of personality, but there were items here and there that made it her home. The rags and cleaning tools that she had left sitting on the living room table were for polishing her fan, kunai, shuriken, and the occasional senbon needles. She had a small TV, but she barely watched it, opting usually for one of the novels on the small shelf next to her living room window.

Speaking of books...

Temari hastily put the boy down and raced to her shelf to remove Ichi Ichi Paradise. Face flushing, she turned and watched as the boy studied the apartment. When his back was turned, Temari hid the bright orange books behind a large potted plant. God. What was her life coming to? Temari thought wearily as she moved down the hall.

"Okaa-san!" he panicked.

"I'm just going to take a bath," she frowned. She stared at his dirty appearance and grimaced at the amount of sand he left on her floor. "You first." She gestured for him to follow.

Obediently, he trailed behind her and sat on the toilet as he watched her fill the tub. Unlike the horror stories she heard from other ninja mothers about bath time, the boy behaved and climbed into the tub without a fuss. Using a damp wash cloth she quickly began to scrub his arms and legs and shampoo his hair. She frowned at the amount of dirt that washed into the water. She had to refill the tub two more times before the boy was finally clean.

Grabbing a towel, she toss it to the boy and ordered him to get out. She rearranged the towel so that it was wrapped snugly around his body. Dripping slightly, he followed her to her bedroom. He sat on her bed as she rummaged through her drawers and found an old pair of t-shirt and shorts. She use ninjutsu to shrink them and quickly dressed the boy. From her closet she grabbed another towel, and began to viciously towel the boy's hair dry.

The boy seemed to think it was a game and giggled. By the time she was done grooming, the kid looked halfway presentable. The shirt and short were a little loose, but at least they stayed on. As for his hair…Temari noted that his hair was actually a few shades lighter than she thought it would be. With all the dirt gone, it shone more like auburn-gold instead of the brown gold she had imagined. His face was cleaner so it actually brought to her attention what huge eyes the kid seemed to have. A small nose and a happy smile. He looked like an ordinary child. Not some desert rat she found a few days ago.

Temari grabbed a brush from her dresser and tried to work on the boy's hair. After a few minutes, she toss the it away with a huff. His rat-nest almost broke her brush. Let it stay spiky for all she cared.

"Look, I'm going to take a shower, ok?"

She moved the boy back out into the living room and sat him on a worn couch. She flipped on the TV and watched as the boy's eyes widen. He seem to barely remember her presense.

In twenty minutes, she was clean and dressed; ready for the meeting with the Kazekage. By the time she made her way out to the living room, the boy was already on his way to find her.

"I'm going to meet the Kazekage," she said. She debated whether or not to take him.

"What's a Kazekage?" He tugged on her skirt.

"The leader of our village," Temari adjusted the fan on her back.

"Can I come?" he asked. He tried to use his eyes to puppy-dog her into saying yes.

"Why not." What other choice did she have? She wasn't going to leave the boy in her apartment alone. Temari grabbed his hand. With another poof she teleported them into the mission room. She was waved inside by the secretary.

Gaara, impassive as always, looked up and didn't bat an eyelash when he noticed a strange child clinging to his sister.

"My report." She tossed him the scroll. Catching it, Gaara roamed his eyes through the report before tossing it over his shoulder where piles of other scrolls laid.

"It went well in Leaf?"

"Yes."

That was all he wanted to know.

Pulling out a drawer from his desk, Gaara took out some paper and crayons and offered it to the child. The boy hesitate and Temari couldn't blame him. Gaara just has that affect on people.

"Okaa-san?" The boy looked up.

"Go ahead," she nodded. The boy took a step forward and said a quiet thank you before he ran to a corner to color. Taking a seat in front of Gaara, Temari tried to ignored his staring.

"You have a question?" she asked. She bit her lips to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Gaara nodded. "Father?"

"I don't know," she mumbled. She caught the eyebrow that Gaara raised. "It's not like that! He's not mine!" She lowered her voice when she noticed the boy looking up. A moment later his head was back down, concentrating on his drawing.

"I found him."

"Where?"

"In the desert between Leaf and Sand."

"Spy?"

"I don't think there's a chance of that. It looks like he was just abandoned." She frowned at the boy. Suddenly, he leapt up in excitement and raced to her.

"Look Okaa-san! I drew you!"

Temari stared at the stick figure of herself with massive yellow lightening bolts coming from her head.

"That's your hair," he explained. Abruptly, his attention shifted to focused on Gaara instead. Since Gaara was the nice guy who gave him crayons for his picture, the boy seemed a lot more talkative and comfortable.

"Ne, Onichan. Are you the Kazekage? What's your name?"

Gaara stared at the child in a moment of silence before he spoke. "Gaara. What's yours?"

The boy peered at Gaara seriously. "Okaa-san never gave me one, Gaara Onichan. I like your name, though. Ne, Okaa-san. Can my name be Gaara, too?" Big pleading eyes.

Temari gapped. "I don't think-" She stopped when Gaara raised his hand to silences her.

"I don't mind," he said.

Temari's jaw dropped. Climbing into her lap, the newly named Gaara beamed at her.

The door burst open.

"So it's true! You do have a kid!" Kankuro stood in the doorway. His face was etched with shock. "When Mika told me, I didn't believe her!"

The boy hide his face in fright when he saw Kankuro's chalked white face. Temari scowled.

"Close the door and stop shouting," she ordered.

Doing as he was told, Kankuro quickly locked the door and ambled inside. He grinned when the kid looked up.

"I'm your uncle Kankuro."

"My uncle?" The kid lifted his head all the way up to stare.

"You're not an uncle," Temari snapped. "He's not my kid!" She tried to shove the boy off.

"Stop being cruel to your child," Kankuro teased. "He got a name?"

"Gaara," Gaara said. Kankuro looked at his brother.

"Really?" He asked. Gaara nodded.

"She named him after me."

"Hey. How come you didn't name him after me?" Kankuro looked genuinely hurt.

"I didn't name him!" she growled. She managed to get the kid off of her and stood up. "Anyway, I'm hoping you can find him a home at one of the orphanages."

"Are you sure?" Gaara asked.

"Yes."

"Alright," he dismissed her. With a few hand seals, she teleported away, leaving the cry of "Okaa-san" behind her.

In her apartment, Temari began setting her life back to normal. She had dinner for one. Washed the dishes. Watched a little TV. Read a little.

As she was lying in her bed that night, she had the strangest feeling of uneasiness. She couldn't get to sleep. Her left side felt strangely cold and it hit her. The boy, she refused to call him Gaara, had always slept beside her on the left side. Only three days and she had gotten use to his presence. How pathetic. She fell into an restless sleep.

For the next few days afterwards, everything went back to the way it was. She ate, slept, and went on missions in Suna here and there. She felt almost like herself again until that afternoon.

Leaping from one rooftop to another, she was on her way home from another mission when she spotted a bunch of children playing in the park. They were being chaperone by Suna nuns. Almost immediately, her eyes went to the lone figure sitting on a swing.

Temari almost lost her balance.

Making sure no one saw, she teleported herself into the tree branch above the swing set.

"Hey, Ga-chan, do you want to play?" a child asked.

"Don't bother with him. Even his mother didn't want him," another child taunted. Laughing, the children left the boy alone. From her position in the tree, Temari tried not to feel guilty when she heard the sniffing sounds. She heard him weep with an occasion "Okaa-san" come pleading through his cries.

In her memory, she saw another child, another Gaara, sitting in an almost identical swing set, watching the other children with their parents.

Temari felt the self-reproach weigh her down again. Much like when she had mistaken the boy for her youngest brother in the desert. The guilt she had still ate her alive when she thought of it. She was suppose to be the big sister. The one who should have been protecting her brothers. Instead, she chose to turn away. She ignored Kankuro for years and brush away Gaara from her mind as if he didn't exist. Even when they were on the same genin team, she hadn't bother with them. They weren't worth her time, she thought. Kankuro was a bully who picked on those smaller than them. Gaara was a monster. She soaked up the pity people offered her for having those two as brothers.

Baki-sensei saw. He saw her mixed disgusted and embarrassment when they walked down the streets. Temari had always made sure to distant herself as far as she could. She didn't even want to breathe the same air they did. Then, while on a D-rank mission, Temari had been cornered by a Jounin who had taken an interest in her. Before she could even defend herself, the jounin went flying off to the side by the force of Kankuro's punch.

"Don't touch my sister!" Kankuro snarled.

The last thing the jounin felt was the pain of Gaara's sand burial before he died.

That incident had opened her eyes. She had never cared to think of them as her brothers. But Kankuro, and perhaps a small part of Gaara, had accepted her as their sister.

That's when the guilt set in. The guilt of not being there for Kankuro when he himself was being bullied. The guilt of not being there for Gaara when he was little, when he needed her the most to protect him from their father and Uncle.

Everything that happen to Gaara was her fault. Her fault he grew up the way he did. Her fault when he was kidnap by the Akutuski. Her fault when he was killed. What kind of a sister, was she?

Temari felt rain. Stun, she touched her wet cheeks and glanced up at the clear blue skies. The water that fell came from her eyes. Tears. Crying. It was something she hadn't done since she was little. Almost as if a dam had burst, Temari felt herself sobbing quietly with the boy. All the guilt and hurt she kept inside seemed to come spilling out.

"Okaa-san." More weeping . More tears. More guilt to lay on her already heavy shoulders.

Temari hastily wiped her eyes. Making sure there was no signs that she had been brawling her eyes out only a few moments earlier. She felt confident enough to drop out of the tree and in front of the boy. Looking up, he stared at her in disbelief. He launched himself a few moments later and wrapped his arm around her middle.

"Okaa-san!"

Temari's hand came to rest on his head. Maybe she could do for this boy, what she couldn't do for Gaara or Kankuro. He was already attached to her. If she abandoned him, she was no better than her father.

Temari watched as the boy looked at her adoringly. She felt her stomach rumble, a testament to the fact that she hadn't had dinner yet.

"Come on," she said. She picked the boy up in her arms.

"What are you doing?" A nun cried out. "Oh, Temari-sama. It's you."

Temari shifted the boy to a more comfortable position on her hip.

"I just came to pick him up. Thank you for watching him for me," she gave a nod at the nun. "If you have any questions, take it up with the Kazekage."

"Of course," the nun smiled fondly at the boy in her arms. "Ga-chan is such a sweet child. The Kazekage said that you would pick him up soon."

Temari felt her eye twitch. "He did?"

"Yes."

"Well, thank you." With that, Temari leapt up into the tree limb and from there onto a neighboring rooftop. She stopped when she landed on top of ramen stand. "Wanna eat?"

He nodded.

Leaping down, she took a seat on a stool and watched as the boy climbed up on a stool of his own. The ramen man behind the counter gave a big grin.

"Temari-sama," he greeted politely. He gave a huge smile at the boy. " Ga-chan, do you want me to get your usual?"

The boy nodded happily. The man gave them both a glass of water before heading towards the back.

"How do you know this place?" Temari asked warily. She got the feeling all of Suna was against her.

"Uncle Kuro takes me here for lunch," the boy kicked his legs out. "I like pork ramen."

"Uncle Kuro, huh," Temari took her glass of water and began to sip.

"Sometimes, Uncle Gaara comes too."

Temari spat the water back into the glass.

"Are you ok, Okaa-san?"

"Fine. Fine." Temari grabbed her napkin and began to wipe her mouth. "You call Gaara, Uncle Gaara?"

The boy nodded solemnly. "He said to."

Temari grabbed a passing waitress. "You wouldn't happen to have any aspirin, do you?"

"We do, Temari-sama. Should I get you some?"

"Please."

After they got back from the ramen stand, Temari gave Ga-chan another bath before they settled in for the night. Her left side felt oddly comfortable with small body curled up next to her.

"Okaa-san?"

"What?"

"You're not going to leave again, right?" the boy asked with wide anxious eyes.

"No," Temari pulled him into her arms. She felt him relax and together they drifted off to sleep. She woke up to the smell of bacon and coffee and heard Ga-chan's laughter. Tumbling out of bed, Temari stumbled her way to the kitchen.

God. She hated mornings. Walking in, she raised one eyebrow when she noticed Gaara sitting at her table reading the newspaper. Ga-chan was in the seat next to him coloring and Kankuro was at the stove, frying eggs. She pinched herself. No, not a dream. Did she stumble into another dimension, then?

"I have another mission for you."

Temari sighed as she sat down. She waited for Gaara to speak again.

"Our main proctor for the chunnin exam had an accident. I want you to take his place ."

Temari nodded. She wanted to complain that she just got back from the Leaf, but held it in. "When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!"

"You're leaving, Okaa-san?" the boy looked fearful.

"Don't worry, kid," Kankuro ruffled his hair. "I bet Okaa-san is going to take you with her."

"What? I can't go on a mission with a child!"

"I'll give you mules so you'll travel faster," Gaara said.

"Why didn't you offer me mules before?" Temari glared.

Gaara looked impassive. "I never had a nephew before." He stood up, grabbed a piece of bacon, and munched on it on his way out.

"Eat up," Kankuro placed a plate in front of her. "At least with the mule, you only have a four day trip instead of eight."

Temari tried not to grumble as she ate. Kankuro sent Ga-chan off to watch TV so that they could have some privacy.

"I did a little digging about the kid," he said. He sat down next to her.

"What did you find out?" Temari asked. She placed down her fork. Suddenly, she wasn't hungry anymore.

"Nothing," Kankuro threw his hands in the air, clearly aggravated.

"Nothing at all?"

"There's no missing report on any kid matching him from any of the villages, at least," Kankuro took a look at Ga-chan. "I don't even have a solid lead about his real parents. None of the other villages are claiming him."

He looked at Temari.

"Something doesn't feel right. I'll keep digging," he hesitated. "Be careful."

"I'll be fine," she rubbed her temple. Kankuro nodded. He wave a hasty good bye as he made his exit out her window.

Temari walked into the living room.

"Lets go," she turned off the television much to the boy's disappointment.

"Where are we going, Okaa-san?" the boy got to his feet.

"Shopping. You need some new clothes." He was wearing an old genin suna vest, something he must have gotten from the orphanage, and a pair of sweatpants she had shrunk for him the night before. The vest was just about his size. The pant was too big and he was using one of her obi like a belt to hold it in place.

Picking him up, she teleported them into the market place and went to the first clothing store she saw.

"Temari-sama!" someone called. Once the attendants saw who their customer was, they began doting on her instantly. "What can we help you with, Temari-sama?" At least three salespeople were waiting on her, ignoring the other shoppers. Temari pushed Ga-chan in front of her.

"He needs some things."

"Right away, Temari-sama!"

The next thing Temari knew, she was being presented with all the latest Suna fashion for young boys.

"This sandal has a built-in compartment on its lower sole that can hide a single kunai." The sales women held up a regular looking sandal and eagerly showed Temari how it worked.

"I'll take it," Temari waved it away. With help, Ga-chan had all the clothes and underwear he would need for the next two years. He even begged to wear one outfit out of the store and Temari relented. When the little boy emerged from the dressing room, Temari held her tongue. The way Ga-chan jumped around in his new orange jumpsuit reminded Temari of another idiot who had a strange affliction with the same color.

Ignoring it, she went to the counter and paid. When she saw the total, her eyes almost budged out. Clothing the kid was expensive. No wonder shinobis mothers always seem to complain. She was going to have to take on a lot more missions if she didn't want her account to be wipe clean. Temari allowed the clerk to swipe her Suna bank card through. She left with Ga-chan happily in tow. The sale people called out asking her to come again.

Greedy, money-stealing vultures, she thought moodily. They headed back to her apartment to drop off the shopping bags. Ga-chan spent the whole afternoon looking through his things, only breaking when Temari told him it was time for lunch.

They ate at a nearby sushi bar and had dinner at a local restaurant. Gaara stopped by that night to give Ga-chan a little surprise. It was a small bag in the shape and image of a panda. "It's for the trip," was all Gaara said. He left just as quickly as he came. Kankuro stopped by as well. He gave Ga-chan a miniature shuriken set. Ga-chan became excited. The moment he accidentally cut his finger, though, he began to cry.

Temari made Kankuro bandaged the boy's finger and then kicked him out. She packed several clothing, several smaller weapons, her toothbrush and toothpaste before walking over to Ga-chan bag. She shifted through his bag to make sure he was bringing everything necessary.

The next morning, they were off and ready to go before sunrise, heading for the Suna gate. The jounin escort that was assigned to them was already there, waiting with two mules.

"Temari-dono," he greeted. She nodded. Saddling up one mule, she picked Ga-chan up and placed him on top before climbing on the beast herself. She kicked the mule and sent it tottering out of the gate with the jounin riding his own beast beside her. Ga-chan waved good-bye to his Uncle Kuro who had come to see them off.

When the gate vanished behind them, Ga-chan turned his attention forward.

"Okaa-san. We're high," Ga-chan said in awe. He began to talk excitingly about everything and anything. Just two days into the journey and he had ready named the mules. Hiroyuki and Hiroyoko.

They camp. They ride. Camp and ride. The journey was pretty calm, except for the occasional emergency restroom break for Ga-chan.

Later that evening, on the third day, the jounin began to set up camp for the night. One more day and they would reach the Konoha. Temari frowned. She should feel relieved that it was close, but something felt a little off.

"Something wrong?" the jounin asked.

"Just a feeling," she said. The jounin became guarded. A moment later, Temari felt something whizzed by her cheek, embedding itself into the sand. A senbon. Cursing, Temari frantically looked around for Ga-chan and noticed that he was by the tent.

"Gaara, get down!"

Doing as he was told, the boy threw himself down in time to avoid being beheaded by a large shuriken. Whipping the fan from her back, Temari stopped the attacks of more kunai and watched as three figures leapt out of the sand to attack the jounin. While the attackers were concentrated on her escort, she tried to make her way to the stunned boy.

She snarled and cursed when a fourth and fifth figure leapt out from the sands in front of her. Temari swung her fan. To her disappointment, the figures kept leaping out of distance. The speed of their taijutsu was fast and nimble. Biting the flesh on one of her finger until it bled, she made a move to do her summon when a cry of pain reached her ears.

Jerking her head, Temari watched in horror as a sixth figure appeared. He was tall, broad shouldered, and he leaning over Ga-chan with a rather unpleasant smile. Without being prompted he grabbed Ga-chan by the throat, lifting the boy clear off the group, choking him.

"Gaara!" Her momentary lapse in judgment cost her. Distracted, Temari felt herself get knocked and sent flying back a few feet away. Rolling to the side to avoid more shuriken, she leapt to her feet, angry and pissed.

"Put down that fan or the boy gets it," the sixth figure placed a single kunai to the boy's throat. "You too." He said to the jounin that his companions were fighting against.

Angry, the jounin held up his hands. A moment later, his head went flying from his body much to her grimace and Ga-chan's terrifying screams.

The attackers kicked the dead body with disinterested.

They were missing nins. Dangerous missing nins who have Ga-chan's life in the palm of their hand. Temari slowly placed down her fan already missing it's solid weight.

"Good girl," another missing nin began to look her up and down lecherously, while his cohorts checked the bags on the mules. "Boss, can I have fun with his one?" This missing nin made sure to kick the fan a distance away.

"Why not?" the boss tightened his hold on Ga-chan. "We'll even let the kid watch."

The man glided up to Temari and caressed her face with his slimly hand. The other hand went to caress her thighs underneath her kimono. Temari fought the urge to spit in his face.

"Leave my Okaa-san alone!" Ga-chan shrieked. He began to wiggle, trying to get free. The man howled when Ga-chan bit him. He glared down at the boy. "On second thought, lets just kill the boy and just have fun with the girl instead."

To Temari's horror, she watched as the kunai was raised. Before the boss could bring it down, he was viciously kicked away by an orange blur. The whole area was filled with them. Taking her chances, Temari palmed the blade she had hidden in her sleeve and stabbed the nin in front of her, clear through the throat. She leaped for her fan. Feeling the reassuring weight, she snarl and dispatched the last remaining nin closest to her.

In mere moments, all of her attackers were dead or dying. Temari gave the nin who touched her a vicious kick. She turned her attention back to the nin that saved her life.

In a poof of smoke, most of the clones vanished leaving only a boy with bright blond hair and blue eyes standing in the middle of the sand.


	3. Chapter 3

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Mother of the year

* * *

_In a poof of smoke, most of the clones vanished leaving only a boy with bright blond hair and blue eyes standing in the middle of the sand._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Temari felt a sense of relief when she looked Ga-chan over. A scratch here and a scratch there, but he was fine. She rapped her knuckles hard on his head.

"Okaa-san," the boy rubbed his head. "That hurts!"

"Good. It means you're alive, you stupid brat. You're lucky nothing worst happened," she turned to Naruto and his team who were looking at her with interest.

"Okaa-san?" the pink hair kunoichi looked scandalized and morbidly curious. She and Naruto scooted a little closer to stare at Ga-chan.

"Hey, Sai. Yamato-sensei. Check him out!" Naruto gestured for the last two member of his party. The dark hair boy sauntered over, but never changed his expression. Yamato however brought his fist down hard on Naruto's head.

"Hey!"

"Stop gawking at the kid," the man ordered. Temari made a move to push Ga-chan behind her, but he broke loose and went forward to chat with Naruto and Sakura.

"You're pretty," he said. He looked up at Sakura with shining eyes. The pink hair kunoichi beamed. "You're cool, mister." At that Naruto puffed out his chest with pride. Turning to Sai, Ga-chan blinked. He scooted a little closer and stared at the other boy who stared blankly back. "Wow. You're really, really, really pretty. Like my Okaa-san," he said. Ga-chan beamed and grabbed Sai's hand. "I'm going to marry you," he announced.

Everyone blinked.

"Do you any aspirin?" Temari turned to Yamato. "I forgot to pack some."

"With these three..." he handed her a pouch. Even though he gave her a sympathic look, she could still spot a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. "I carry a pharmacy's worth."

Temari called Ga-chan back.

"Are you going to Konoha?" Sakura asked. When Temari confirmed, the pink hair girl smiled. "Then why don't we go together. I'll like to get to know…" She turned to the boy and gave a friendly smile. "What's your name?"

Ga-chan puffed out his chest, much like Naruto moments before, and announced it. "My name is Gaara. My Okaa-san named me after my uncle. He's a Kazekage."

Of course hearing the name sent Naruto into a fit of laughter and Sakura speechless. When Naruto was finished, the boy wiped away the tears of mirth. "Is there a little Kankuro then?" he asked.

Three set of fists fell on the boy's head.

"Naruto, that was rude," Sakura growled as she drew her fist away. She quickly apologized on behalf of her teammate. Not satisfied that his student had learned his lesson, Yamato laid another strike on Naruto's head. Temari's own hand stung a bit where she tried to knock some tact into the boy.

"Don't worry about it," she looked down at the dead body of her jounin escort. She set out to dispose of the body while Yamato and Sai took care of the bodies of the missing nin. Temari sent out a Suna death prayer as she watched his body go up in flames. Turning back, she took Ga-chan from Sakura.

"Are you here for the Chunin exam?" Sakura asked. She looked confused. "I thought you were already a jounin."

"I am. I'm proctoring this year," Temari said. She enjoyed the horrified look on Naruto and Sakura's faces. "You're here to take the exam I gather."

They nodded numbly. Their chance of failure rose a few notches in their mind. Temari hid a vicious smile.

"Good luck." With that, she and Ga-chan turned to the mules who had been waiting patiently the whole time.

"Why don't we travel together?" Sakura shook off her shock and began to followed after them. "Just in case you're attacked again."

"Yeah," Naruto followed after. "We should go together, right. Yamato-sensei?" They were obviously trying to scout for more information. They kept eyeing Ga-chan with curiosity.

"It's her choice," Yamato said. He frankly didn't look as if he cared.

Temari hesitated. She glanced over at Ga-chan. Had she been alone she wouldn't have bothered to even have this conversation, but Ga-chan…what was possibility of being attacked again? Was it worth risking his life? Temari grabbed the reins of one of the mule and tossed to Naruto.

In the end, two mules, one carrying Temari, Ga-chan and Sakura, and the other carrying Sai, Yamoto and Naruto, made it's way to Konoha. Along the ride, Temari had to fight the urge to send the other kunoichi sprawling onto the sand ground and leaving her to rot. What business of it was hers who Ga-chan's father is? It was questions after endless questions with Naruto chiping in despite Yamato's warning.

One day.

One day of traveling with them and Temari was ready to bite her tongue through. She always thought Naruto and Sakura were annoying when she first met them, but now that she spent time with them, she suddenly couldn't fault Uchiha for leaving. He probably did it to preserve his sanity. Temari grabbed her temple. Between her and Yamato, the mountain of aspirin disappeared rather quickly.

She was never more relieved to see the outer wall of Konoha. She could have wept. Waiting for her at the front of the gate was Nara Shikamaru, her own personal Konoha tour guide.

"You're troublesome," he told her as he helped her dismount.

"So you keep telling me," Temari smirked. She reached over and pulled Ga-chan off the mule and set him down on the ground. Nara raised an eyebrow.

"This is?"

"My son. His name is Gaara."

If Nara was surprised he didn't show it. Temari grabbed her pack and made Ga-chan carry his own. She left the mules in the hands of the gate shinobis as she entered the village. Team Yamato had already vanished into the crowds.

"Wow," Ga-chan grasped her hand tightly. If Ga-chan was awed by Suna, then he was down right thrilled with Konoha. Everything looked so lush and lively. People were shouting, bartering, selling. The strong scent of food and fruit lingered heavy in the air. There were a lot more kids playing out here than in Suna and Ga-chan almost took off excitingly. Temari's firm grip on the back of his shirt kept him from running off. Loosing her hold a bit, she moved them forward through the crowds, following Nara. She felt the heated stares and whispers as she walked passed.

"Ne, Okaa-san. I'm hungry," the boy's stomach chose to rumble then.

"Hey, Nara," the shinobi guide looked back questioningly. "I'm taking him to get something to eat."

He nodded. Temari snagged the key he tossed. "You're settled in the usual place." With that, he walked lazily away.

Bastard. Temari thought fondly. She looked down at Ga-chan. "Come on."

She ended up taking him to Ichiraku. There, she was annoyed to see a head of pink hair sitting on a bar stool with several other girls. They hadn't notice Temari's arrival.

"She has a son!"

"No way!" Ino Yamanaka's eyes widen. "Really?"

"He's really cute," Sakura seemed really smug in the fact that she knew something the other girls didn't. "She name him Gaara!"

"So whose the father?" an unfamiliar girl asked. "I can't believe it. A son at twelve! Those Suna girls sure are fast!"

Temari reached for her fan.

"I don't know. I wish I knew."

Temari purposely walked by them and took a seat on the bar stool at the very end. From the corner of her eyes, she watched as the group paled. Making a show, she picked up Ga-chan and gently sat him on the stool next to her, wiping away a speck of dirt on his shoulder.

"Two small bowls of pork ramen," she ordered. She watched as the group hastily got up and left. Feeling oddly satisfied with herself, she and Ga-chan ate happily. She paid for their meal and they left, heading towards the guest apartment that Konoha had offered her.

Unpacking, Temari made sure to set an alarm clock . She tuck Ga-chan into a spare bed (Nara must have gotten it for her while she was at the ramen stand) and warded the apartment before trudging over to her own bedding.

What seemed like only a moment of rest, Temari felt her shoulders being frantically shaken. Jolting up, she frowned when she noticed Ga-chan sitting on her lap, sobbing and rubbing his eyes.

"Okaa-san," he sob. "It hurts. It hurts."

"What hurts?" Concern, she reached out and tried to move the boy's hand so that she could see.

"My eyes," big fat tears fell. Temari finally managed to get his hands down. Looking into his eyes, Temari reared back.

"Okaa-san?" the boy looked at her imploringly. His pair of red, sharingan eyes begged and pleaded with her. A moment later, the sharingan faded away leaving only his brown eyes.

"Does it still hurt?" Temari asked. Her voice shook a little. When he shook his head, she quickly sent him back to bed.

By the next morning, Ga-chan didn't remember a thing from last night. Temari couldn't forget, however. Tired from lack of sleep and distracted, she muddled her way through the meeting with the Hokage. The blond, big breasted woman took an interested in Ga-chan and Ga-chan seem to take an interest in looking at the Hokage's chest, much to Temari's dismayed. Was it possible she was rising the next Kakashi? Or heaven forbid. A future Jiraiya? Hastily, she had sent the child out to the mission desk.

"Something the matter?" Tsunade asked. She gave the blond sand nin a curious look.

"No, but-" Temari hesitated. "By any chance is Kakashi-sensei around?"

"Kakashi?" The Hokage had a big smile on her face. Her eyes suddenly grew mischievous. "Any particular reason you're looking for him?" There was a suggestive wiggle of an eyebrow.

Temari blanched. "No! I just have a matter I need to speak with him."

The Hokage looked disappointed with Temari's answer. " At this time, you would probably find him at the memorial stone."

Temari bowed. Leaving the office, Temari noticed a large amount of Chunin and Jounin women that had gathered around Ga-chan.

"And I'm going to marry Sai-chan," Ga-chan finished. He patted the pocket of his shorts and pulled out an gold, round earring that he had found on the street earlier. Temari had wanted to throw it away, but he was adamant about keeping it. Now she knew why. "I found her a ring to wear."

All the women giggled. "Good luck, Ga-chan. If you're aiming for Sai, you're going to need it," a Jounin winked. Temari quickly broke into the group. She ignored all of the protesting as she lead Ga-chan away.

"Ne, Okaa-san. Where are we going?"

"To see someone who can help you."

"Me?" Ga-chan looked up with wide eyes. He grabbed her hand and began to swing it merrily humming an unfamiliar tune.

Features softening just a tad, Temari hurried them along. Luckily, the white hair jounin was still by the memorial stone when she arrived. The masked jounin visible eye curved in a smile.

"Temari-san," he greeted.

"Kakashi-sensei," she looked around checking to see if anyone was nearby. When she felt and saw nothing, she turned and stared into his one eye and cringed slightly. There was always something aloof and off about this jounin and it always set her on edge. Opening her mouth, Temari just as quickly closed it again, unsure of what to say or how to explain. Patiently, Kakashi waited for her to find her thoughts.

"Hey, Oji-san," Ga-chan broke the silence. "How come you wear a mask?"

Kakashi eye smiled down at the kid. "Yours?"

"Not by blood," Temari wished Yamato was here right now to offer more aspirin. "His name is Gaara." She ignored the way his eye seemed to smile wider. "Can I trust you to keep something in confidence?"

"Of course," she had pipe the jounin interest. She squeezed Ga-chan hand. "I think he's an Uchiha."

The jounin glanced down at the boy. "He doesn't look like a typical Uchiha." Members of that clan were know for their pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Ga-chan couldn't be any more different. His hair and eyes were lighter and his skin had a healthy tan glow from playing outside.

"I know," Temari glanced down at the boy. "Go play, Ga-chan."

"Really?" he ran off.

"Not too far!" Temari shouted at his running back. She turned to Kakashi. "The Sharingan. He has them. I saw them last night."

Kakashi eyed the boy. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Temari looked grim. "For a moment I thought Uchiha Sasuke was right in front of me." She frowned. "He was in so much pain."

"Pain?"

"He woke up crying. He said his eyes hurt," Temari tried to forget how Ga-chan looked when he pleaded for her to take the pain away. "It stopped hurting the moment it faded."

Kakashi looked thoughtful. "Having the Sharingan doesn't normally cause pain. At least for a member of the Uchiha clan."

"So what are you saying?"

Kakashi turned to her, his eye no longer smiling. "It's possible his Sharingan is not natural." He lifted his headband allowing Temari to get a good look at his own Sharingan. He pulled the band down a second later. "I'll have to see it of course."

Temari called for Ga-chan. When he raced over, she held onto his shoulders and stood behind him as Kakashi kneeled.

"Would you do something for me, Gaara?"

"If it's okay with my Okaa-san," he looked up for permission. Temari nodded.

"I want to close your eyes and concentrate."

Easier said than done. Ga-chan fidgeted the whole time underneath Temari's hands. Even when she firmly told him to stay still.

"What do you see?"

"Nothing," he frowned. "My eyes are close...Wait. I see something red," Ga-chan, at this point, was fidgeting even more. "I don't like it."

"Don't open your eyes," Kakashi said. "I want you to reach for it in your mind. Can you do that?"

The boy whimpered. "It hurts."

Temari opened her mouth, but Kakashi held up a hand.

"It's important. Can you do it if it's for your Okaa-san?"

"For Okaa-san?" Ga-chan asked. he hesitated. "Ok."

When he opened his eyes, Kakashi was treated to the sight of a pair of Sharingans.

"It hurts. It hurts," Ga-chan cried. He furiously rubbed his eyes. Kneeling, Temari pulled the boy into an comforting embrace. Two minutes later, the Sharingan faded away and the boy fell asleep in her arms, his chakra almost exhausted.

Temari looked up. "What are you thinking?"

"It seems natural enough. He's able to reabsorb it back into his system," Kakashi placed his hands in pocket and stood up.

"What about the pain?" she demanded to know. She frowned when Kakashi shrugged. Even the genius copy-cat shinobi had no answers for her.

"What do I do?" she finally asked. She lifted up the sleeping Ga-chan.

Kakashi shrugged. "Try not to let him use the Sharingan." He looked up at the sky. "It's cursed anyhow."

"Thank you," Temari made a move to walk away. She was surprised when Kakashi gently took Ga-chan from her arms.

"I'll walk you home," he said. "Where did you find him anyway?"

"I found him a few days ago. In the desert."

Kakashi hummed in thought.

Walking into town, Temari suddenly regretted allowing the famous copy-nin to walk her home. With her being from Suna and with a child was strange enough for people to whisper about. Now she had their idolized jounin walking beside her, holding Ga-chan like a father holding his son…she could see the furious whispers already.

When they reached her apartment, Temari took Ga-chan back from Kakashi. She thanked him and shut the door in his face. She made her way to his bedroom and tucked Ga-chan quietly in before she sat at the kitchen table with her face buried in her hands in frustration.

Of all the children in the world, she had to stumbled across an Uchiha. The irony of it was almost funny. Later, Temari couldn't recall if she had been laughing or crying. The only thing she remember feeling was heartbreak. Not for herself, but for Ga-chan who seem to be part of the most cursed clan in history.


	4. Chapter 4

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Mother of the year

* * *

_The only thing she remember feeling was heartbreak. Not for herself, but for Ga-chan who seem to be part of the most cursed clan in history._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Things looked better the next morning. It was the first day of the Chunin exam and for once, Temari found herself looking forward to the challenge. Anything that could distract her from her brooding thoughts was welcomed at this point. She quickly woke Ga-chan and helped him dress. She set off for the exam building with the sleepy boy tottering behind her.

Along the way, she met Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei," she greeted. She watched as his eye roamed to Ga-chan who gave a big yawn. Kakashi offered his arms to the boy and Ga-chan eagerly accepted, no longer wanting to walk. Settling the boy on his hip, Kakashi followed Temari. Soon, Ga-chan was asleep again, his head lolling on Kakashi's shoulder.

To her surprise, Kakashi offered to watch the boy during the exam. Temari gave him a suspicious look. She consented a moment later. She needed to find a place for him anyhow while she proctored. Kakashi was a suppose genius. The man should be able to watch one child without incident.

Temari gently woke Ga-chan up to let him know she was leaving. "I have to go to work, alright? I want you to stay with Kakashi-sensei."

The boy grew teary eyed. "I want to go with Okaa-san," he sniffed. He tried to wriggle out of Kakashi's embrace and reached for her. She couldn't be quite sure, but she have sworn she heard Kakashi muttered Momma's boy underneath his breathe. She gave the jounin a warning look. She turned her attention back to the whining child.

"Okaa-san, I mean, I, have to work and you can't come," Temari patted his head. "I'll be back soon to pick you up, alright?"

"Do you promise?"

"Yes." Without thinking about it, she leaned forward and kissed Ga-chan on the forehead and left.

"Yo. Want to see a trick?" she heard Kakashi asked. She heard a poof and a delighted squeal.

"You have a very interesting child." A young, dark hair woman wearing the Hidden Rain headband remarked. She joined Temari as they walked into the building. Scowling, Temari hoped the woman would get the hint and leave her be. People were just nosy these days.

"Is that the father?"

"No. Excuse me," Temari was curt. There was no pretense at all at being polite. The Hidden Rain shinobi seemed a bit miffed at the rebuke. Ignoring the burning glaze the woman threw at her back, Temari made her way to the floor where the proctors were gathering. Inside the room, forty-five proctors in all, coming from every village, were lounging around. Most were chatting boisterously. She headed towards where the four lead proctors were.

The main proctor from the Hidden Leaf didn't bother disguising his interest. Chewing on a senbon, the jounin offered her a charming smile. He introduced himself as Genma of the Hidden Leaf. Other proctors started to follow his example.

Temari didn't bother remembering any of their names. Instead, she turned her attention to the Hokage who began their meeting. The Hokage seemed quite bored standing up there reciting all the rules, reminding them, here she threw a hard look at the land of Mist proctors, of protocol and procedures. She emphasized on what they can do, but more importantly what they _can't _do and merrily went on her way the moment she came to the end of her speech.

"I guess I'm up first," the Hidden Leaf jounin said. He gathered his proctors and left. Curious, Temari followed the other testers to another room where they could observe the candidates unseen. Almost immediately, she picked Naruto from the crowd. His orange suit, while much more tamed then the one he wore years ago, still shone like a beacon in the mist of somber grays, blacks, and browns. Sakura was next to him and Sai, their newest member, was on the other side. Both Naruto and Sakura's faces were slight sullen. Temari wondered if they were remembering the last time they took the chunin exam. The one where a different dark hair boy was by their side.

"We have some good candidates this year," the tester from the Hidden Fire said.

"All we have to do is weed out the losers," the tester from the Hidden Sound agreed. Bored, Temari watched as the Hidden Leaf jounin moved his hands rapidly, already beginning the exam. The next thing the candidates knew, they were in an open field with senbons raining down at them in torrents from the sky. Dodge. Weave. Skip. Hop. The Hidden Leaf jounin standing in the front seemed to take great pleasure in watching the hopping and dancing of the candidates as they tried to avoid be hit. The proctors standing out to the side were silent, watching as each examinee tried to dodge the oncoming needles. When one candidate went down, they teleported in and grabbed the fallen and teleported out. Instant failure.

Looking at Team Yamato, Temari raised an eyebrow when she noticed they were standing still, a great feat for Naruto. They were content, watching from their safe area in a bubble-like shield, created by Sakura's chakra. It allowed the fallen Senbon to fall harmlessly around them. Like a raindrop falling around an umbrella.

Other teams, noticing Team Yamato strategy, tried to copy. Unfortunately for them, they didn't have Sakura's chakra controlling abilities and the majority of them failed. Their shields were too weak sending the senbon right through. Or their shields were too strong, creating a magnetic field that attracted Senbon instead of deflecting them. As much as the pink hair girl annoyed her, Temari did give credit where it was due.

"Alright, Sakura-chan!" Naruto crowed.

Temari rolled her eyes.

"Interesting!"

Looking at the what cause one of the tester to exclaimed, Temari watched as a ninja from the Hidden Rain, using Taijustu, moved faster than the eye could see, randomly grabbing senbons from the sky and tossing it over her shoulder as if it was nothing.

Temari thought she looked familiar. That women was that annoying nin from earlier that asked if Kakashi was Ga-chan father.

"Very good," one of the tester noted.

"Isn't there something a little off about her?" another asked. That questions was met by shrugs.

One and a half hour passed before a whistle blew signaling the end of the first exam.

"My turn tomorrow," the tester from the Hidden Sound rubbed his hand gleefully.

With that, all of the proctors were dismissed for the day. Adjusting the fan on her back, Temari walked out of the building and frowned when she noticed Kakashi and Ga-chan crouched on the ground. With their backs to her, she couldn't see what they were doing. She had a bad feeling.

"What's going on?" she asked. She watched as two guilty expressions looked up at her. She heard a small, meowing sound and peered over their shoulder to see a small cat looking calmly up. When it spoke, Temari almost face faulted.

"Temari-san," the cat greeted. His tone was friendly and polite.

"Umino-san?" She stared at the brown furred kitten. When the cat nodded his head, Temari turned to Ga-chan who looked as if he would rather be anywhere else but here.

"My fault," Kakashi spoke up. "I was teaching him some ninjutsu. It... went slightly out of hand."

"I'm sorry, Okaa-san!" Ga-chan threw himself into her arms and began to cry, while apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei!"

"It's alright," Umino-san said. He tried to reassure the boy. "I've always wanted to know what it's like to be a cat."

"You do?" Ga-chan lifted his head up, sniffing.

The cat nodded. There was a strange expression on his face. It took Temari a moment to realized that Umino was trying to give the boy a smile. It was probably the kind of smile that must have comforted all of the pre-genin he had to teach.

With an abrupt poof, Umino Iruka was back to the way he was before. "No harm," he tried to assure Temari.

"Either way, I apologize for the trouble," Temari bowed. She made Ga-chan bowed as well. "Thank you for taking care of Ga-chan, Kakashi-sensei. Good-bye." She moved away quickly.

"Bye!" Ga-chan waved to the men merrily as he ran after his mother. "Okaa-san. Are you mad?"

"No," Temari sighed. At least no one got hurt. "What were you trying to do?"

"Henge," he said. He gave her a big goofy smile. "Kakashi-sensei said that Naruto Onichan was really good at it. Do you think he'd teach me?"

Temari remembered Naruto's sexy no jutsu and didn't answer.

"I can do another trick, want to see?" Ga-chan stopped in the middle of the street. He bowed his head down and concentrated. Temari stopped as well, curious to see what the boy was going to do. When he lifted his head up, the sharingan in his eyes whirled madly as he stared at his mother.

"It doesn't hurt anymore!" he beamed.

Temari gave a little jump and quickly pushed his head down. By that time, it was too late. A group of passersby had already noticed. Whispers of "Uchiha" traveled quickly. Grabbing Ga-chan in her arms, she took off to her apartment, not resting or taking a breather. She only allowed herself to stop when she closed the door and quickly ward it and the apartment. She slid to the ground with her back against the door.

"Okaa-san?" Ga-chan asked.

"It's a good trick," she tried to sound happy for him. "Can you turned it off?"

"Yep," the boy bowed his head. When it came up, Temari was relieved to see Ga-chan's bright brown eyes again.

"Gaara," she spoke seriously. She gabbed the boy and looked him in the eyes. "Promise me you won't do that trick anymore."

"Why?"

"Because…" Temari was at a loss for words. Suddenly, she realized why she desperately wanted to keep it a secret. "Some people might want to take you away from me." If Ga-chan is an Uchiha, there was no way Konoha would willingly let her leave with him.

"Take me away from you?" Ga-chan sounded horrified.

"Yes. Promise you won't do it again?"

"I promise," he said solemnly.

"Good."

Temari quickly got up from the floor. "Come on, I'll try to make dinner." She didn't think she could stand another one of Konoha's public scrutiny. They were going to have to eat in.

Later, Mother and Son looked at the quivering black mess on their plates.

"Okaa-san. What's this?"

"Mac and Cheese."

Ga-chan poked. He took a bite and made a funny face. To his credit though, he said nothing as he ate. Temari grimaced and ate her own share. They washed the dishes and went to bed hungry that night.

Later, something woke her, jolting her from sleep into awareness. A pair of red sharingan eyes stared at her from across the room. She sleepily thought that it was Gaara and told him to go to bed. The moment her head laid itself back on the pillow, her eyes sprung opened. She reached for the kunai she had hidden under her pillow. Before her hands could even touch her weapon, Temari felt a heavy body pin her to the bed. Two hands were at her throat, preventing her from screaming. When the moonlight shifted, she was finally able to get a good clear look at Uchiha Sasuke's face as he peered down at her. He leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Take the boy and leave."

"Why?" she managed to choke out.

"Orochimaru."

Then he vanished as if he was never there. Sitting up, Temari rubbed her aching neck. She wouldn't be surprised to see bruises in the shape of his handprint in the morning. Pissed, she got from bed. She was a jounin. The boy never made it pass genin before he deflected. How could she have not sense his presence? Quickly heading for Ga-chan room, she breathe with relief to see him still snuggled in and happily dreaming.

Take the boy and leave, Uchiha said. She could still hear him whispering in her ear. Temari shuddered.

"Ga-chan. Wake up. It's time to go."

"Where are we going, Okaa-san?" he looked up from his bed as she raced around, throwing his things in his bag.

"Home. Get dress," she said. Yes. She would feel much better when they were back in Suna. Racing to her own room, Temari hasty packed. Once she was back in Suna, she write a letter to the Hokage explaining her hasty departure.

The sun hadn't risen yet. The morning air was still cold and breezy. It was a good thing she made Ga-chan put on a jacket before they left. They traveled quickly and quietly through the deserted streets of the market.

"Okaa-san?"

Looking down, she noticed how scared and frighten he looked. He picked up on her anxious mood. Taking his hand, Temari gave him a reassuring smile as they turned around a corner.

"Going somewhere?"

The shinobi from the Hidden Rain was leaning nonchalantly on the wall of a nearby shop.

"Just taking a breath of fresh air," Temari said. The irritation shone through in her voice.

"With your things?" The shinobi questioned. A small smirk was on her lips. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you're skipping town."

"We're going back to Suna," Ga-chan piped up. Temari hushed him.

The shinobi just laughed. "How about I do you a favor, Sand-nin? Let me take the boy off your hands."

Temari's eyes narrowed. She moved Ga-chan behind her as the Shinobi moved towards them. Her eyes opened in horror. "Orochimaru." She recognized those snake-like eyes anywhere.

"Do you have any idea who that boy really is?"

Temari backed up another step as Ga-chan whimpered behind her.

"I never thought I'll see this day, to be honest. To think I finally get to see what a Uchiha and Namikaze child would look like."

Looking around, Temari desperately wanted to see if any other Shinobi were around. When she saw none, she cursed. The security in this village was non-existent. It had to be if someone like Orochimaru could infiltrate a second time.

"Akatsuki," Orochimaru continued. "Did you know they performed experiments on humans?"

"What kind of experiment?" Keep him talking, distract him, it was almost sunrise. A shinobi or two were bound to come along. Until then, Temari had to keep Orochimaru occupied .

"They took abandoned children and injected them with the DNA of different Hokages, hoping to recreate their powers and abilities." Orochimaru seemed to enjoy the look on her face. "Out of sixty only one lived. I believe you already know Yamato." Orochimaru stared at Ga-chan. "Then, there this child. He's special."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Temari demanded to know.

Orochimaru smiled widely at Ga-chan. "Not only does he have fourth hokage's blood flowing through his veins, he has Uchiha Madara's DNA as well. Interesting combination, don't you think? A lot of other children died before this one took. I'm curious as to how he came into your care."

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is my son," Temari spat out.

"Come now. We know that's not true," Orochimaru said. He looked smug. "Going by age, you had the child at what? Eleven?"

"Twelve," Temari retorted. She watched in satisfaction as his face turned red with anger.

"Enough of this," he strolled forward. He ripped Temari away from Ga-chan. Almost like she was some insignificant insect, he threw her through the wooden wall of a nearby restaurant. The foundation shook as she sailed through. Her body rammed into the chairs and tables in her path.

Temari groaned when her body finally stopped. The impact left her with several broken ribs. Her left shoulder was dislocated, her wrist that tried to break her fall was sprained and twisted rather awkwardly. Temari coughed as she breathe in the settling dust.

"Okaa-san!"

Gritting her teeth, Temari forced herself to rise. She staggered to the hole she had made with her body. Grabbing her fan from her back, she opened it. She saw through blurred vision that Orochimaru was looming over a frighten Gaara.

She spat blood onto her fan. "You bastard," she sneered. She lifted her fan with her right hand and despite her shoulder's protest, she sent her summon after him. She darted forward and grabbed Ga-chan as Orochimaru busied himself with Kamatari.

Temari didn't stay for the outcome. She teleported them as far as she could and ran. It was only a couple of blocks, but every step that took her and Ga-chan away from Orochimaru made her feel better. Up ahead, she could see the Hokage tower. It was the last hope she had. Tsunade had faced Orochimaru before. Ga-chan... if she could just get Ga-chan to the Hokage, then he should be safe.

Temari hoisted him into her only working arm in order to move faster. She had to mournfully ditched her fan to get rid of the excess weight as she leapt from one rooftop to the next. Her muscles ached and the pain from her ribs made her eyes sting, but she never faltered. She could feel Orochimaru's chakra behind her. Apparently, the crazed man didn't care if the Leaf knew he was there. All he saw was the boy he wanted to possess.

A child who had the DNA of Namikaze Minato, the fourth Hokage, and Uchiha Madara, the first and rumored to be the most powerful Sharingan user, Temari tried not scared Ga-chan as she embraced him tightly.

"Holy!" Somebody's curse rang out in the air. Poofing onto nearby rooftops, dozens of Shinobis who felt the nasty and powerful chakra had came to investigate. They reacted quickly throwing themselves between Temari and Orochimaru.

Some Anbu members were in the fray as well.

An alarm shrilled over the sleeping town.

Leaping into that last rooftop, Temari sent chakra to her feet as she propelled for the tower. She braced herself as she smashed through the window. She shielded Ga-chan, taking most of the blows herself, as they rolled onto the floor.

"What's going on here?"

Temari looked up at the Fifth Hokage, who was standing a few feet away with her arms crossed and frowning.

"Orochimaru!" Temari got to her feet. "He's coming! He's after Gaara!"

"Which one?"

"My son!" Temari felt her voice go high pitched. Ga-chan, confused, began to wail. Instinctively, she leaped out of the way when a large snake crashed through the walls, separating her from the Tsunade. On the snake's back, Orochimaru glared down.

"I want the child," he rasped.

Temari moved desperately back as his bony hands reached for her. He was knocked off his snake by a vicious kick from Tsunade however.

"Are you aright?" Right at her side, Shikamaru appeared. His headband was on backwards. His chunin vest was buttoned wrong and his hair was loose and not tied back in its usual ponytail. He had been woken in a hurry, obviously, and Temari almost hugged him from sheer joy.

Her joy was short-lived when the body of Tsunade came burling into Shikamaru, knocking both shinobi back. Orochimaru had reached them and grabbed onto Ga-chan shirt, trying to yank him from Temari's arms.

"Let go you foolish girl," he snarled. She sneered back. With one hand, she grasped a kunai and aimed it at his heart. It never connected. With her hasty movement, Orochimaru was able to yank Ga-chan out of her grasp and tossed her away, making her barrel back into Tsunade and Shikamaru, knocking them down again.

"Okaa-san!"

Ga-chan looked so terrified in Orochimaru gasp. "I won't need Uchiha Sasuke anymore, it seems." He turned away to depart.

"Gaara!" Temari screamed. She watched as Orochimaru got right back up on his Snake. In the blink of an eye, Ga-chan disappeared from his arms and reappeared in the arms of someone new on the scene.

Eyes whirling madly with the sharingan, Uchiha Sasuke stared stonily up at his former mentor.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Might have some spoilers.

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Mother of the Year

_

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_

Eyes whirling madly with the sharingan, Uchiha Sasuke stared stonily up at his former mentor.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Temari didn't know whether to feel relieved or more worried as she watched Sasuke hold her son. Without really caring or looking, Sasuke tossed the boy in their general direction.

'That bastard!' she thought as Ga-chan flew through the air. Forcing herself to get to her feet, Temari rushed forward. She skidded slightly as she caught Ga-chan in her arms. She tumbled back and would have fallen had Shikamaru not been behind her, holding her upright. Together, they backed warily away.

"Come out," Sasuke said. The dark haired boy turned to a dark corner of the room and scowled as he watched two members of the Akatsuki stepped out. His eyes darted around looking for his brother.

"Not here," an Akatsuki told him. He smiled causing his strange piercings to shifted. He gave a large smile at Ga-chan. "It looks like we have a stake in this as well."

"Pein-onichan!" Ga-chan looked happy. His earlier fright was forgotten as the other figure stepped out. Ga-chan wriggled in excitement. "Konan-oneechan! Ne, is my otou-san here?"

"That's why we've come," the Akatsuki called Pein said soothingly. "Your otou-san thinks it's time you come home."

The boy looked unsure. "Is Okaa-san coming?"

Pein gave Temari a dismissive look. "We'll get you a new one later," he said. He gestured for the boy to come. Stubborn, Ga-chan refused.

"I want to say with Okaa-san."

"You're coming with me," Orochimaru snarled. He made a move towards the boy, but stopped in his track when Sasuke moved into his path. The dark hair boy reached back and drew out his sword.

"Sasuke-kun!" a cry came from the doorway. Coming through the door arch was Sakura and Naruto. Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato followed. From behind them, Temari could make out Rock Lee, his team, and sensei.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's voice wavered with emotion.

"Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto snarled. His voice was harsh, but anyone could see the hope in his eyes. "Did you decided to come back?"

"No." That one little word seemed to shatter team seven. Not bothering to give his old teammates another glance, he stared at Orochimaru. "I'm just here to settle a score." With that, he attacked.

All hell broke loose then.

Sasuke attacked Orochimaru and Naruto attacked Sasuke. The Akatsuki, not wanting to be left out, attack the shinobi in the doorway. Ninjutsu and Taijutsu flew in flurries around the room and Temari jumped back. She watched as the female Akatsuki sent Sakura and Ten-Ten slamming into the wall, knocking them unconscious.

"Do you want some?" Tsunade asked. She propped herself on a desk and had somehow conjured up a bowl of sake to sip contently. She offered a cup to Temari, who turned her down.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Temari asked. She frowned when Tsunade reached for her. In the chaos, Temari had almost forgot about her broken ribs. Now that she felt Tsunade's chakra flowing through her, mending it, the pain faded away into a dull throbbing. Tsunade even took care of her shoulder and wrist.

Temari gave a thankful nod. She watched as Shikimaru moved forward, muttering about how troublesome this was as he attacked the Akatsuki, trying to aide his friends.

Looking down at Ga-chan, Temari made a move to discreetly escape, but was halted by Tsunade. "You're better off here," the Hokage said.

"How can you say that?" Temari looked at Orochimaru as a point. A loud war yell bellowed out. The next thing Temari saw was a large frog. Standing on top of that frog was Jiraiya. His abrupt presence brought the battles to a stand still.

Growling at the added intrusion, Orochimaru toss Naruto to the side and made a hasty retreat, disappearing from view and Kohona. Before he left though, he sneered down at Temari.

"This isn't over," he said. "I'll have that boy."

Then, he was gone.

Uchiha Sasuke disappeared as well.

"Let's go," the male Akatsuki member gestured.

"The boy?" His partner asked.

"Oh, Right," Pein's eyes shifted to Ga-chan. "You wanna come back home?"

The boy looked torn. He made up his mind a moment later. "No. I wanna stay with Okaa-san."

"In that case," Pein reached into his robes and pulled out a fan, one that bore the Uchiha crest and tossed it to Temari. "That's from his father."

Temari scowled.

"You have our word as Akatsuki that we won't attack Suna, while he's under your care," Pein stared at her straight in the eyes. "One day, his father is going to come back for him. It would be in your best interest to hand him over then without a fuss."

The Akatsuki vanished.

"Now that it's over," the Hokage said. She took another swig of her sake. "Someone wake up Ten-Ten and Sakura. I want you all to clean this mess."

Groaning, everyone began to straighten the area up while Gai-sensei saw to the girls. At the words cleanup, Jiraiya made himself scarce, even though he was desperate to know what he had missed.

"Looks like we're going to have to cancel the exam again," Tsunade said. The Hokage stared out of the hole in her wall at the destruction to her village.

Temari joined her. She placed Ga-chan down and watched as the boy ran to help clean. Actually, he seemed to want to help only Sai, much to the Hokage's amusement. "I think your chunin exams are cursed," Temari said. She remembered the last time it was canceled. Orochimaru had a hand in that one as well.

A jounin appeared at Tsunade's side. "Good news, Hokage-sama. Somehow, there doesn't appear to be any causalities."

"What about our Shinobi who was fighting Orochimaru?"

"Mostly bruise and battered, but they'll live."

Tsunade waved the man away. She turned to Temari. "What will you do?"

"For now?" Temari stared at the sun rise. "All I want is to go home."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll send some escorts with you."

Temari gave her thanks and turned around in time to see Ga-chan shyly presenting Sai with that accursed earring.

A week later, she was sitting in the Kazekage's office, staring at Gaara. Her Leaf escorts, Team Gai, had been gracious enough to go exploring with Ga-chan through Suna, while she spoke with her brothers in private. Kankuro was sitting in the chair next to her.

Temari kept the emotion out of her voice. "His father is an Akatsuki member, we don't know who his mother really is, and he's Orochimaru's newest target. I would understand if you don't want him to stay in the village."

Had she been in Gaara position, choosing between the safety of one boy verses the safety of a whole village, she knew what choice she would make. If she was nothing else, she was at least practical.

Temari stared ahead.

She had her bags packed and ready. The moment Gaara said those words, she would be ready to leave Suna with Ga-chan and never return.

"You're his mother," Gaara said. He looked over a mission report, became bored, and toss it over his shoulder and onto the floor where other similar scrolls met the same fate. "That makes him a Suna citizen. He has a right to stay."

Temari felt her heart skip.

"He can stay?" she asked. She looked into Gaara's eyes, trying to read his thoughts.

"That's what he said, stupid," Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Just do us a favor and don't pick up any more brats." Then he thought about it. "If you do, make sure you name the next one after me."

****

Epilogue

It had all been planned. Finding the boy. Experimenting on the boy. Their leader treating the boy like a son, making sure the kid was happy and content. It had been amusing to see a child happily scampering around the Akatsuki headquarters, not knowing that he was currently living with S-rank criminals. Even more amusing was the fact that the kid had openingly adored Itachi, Konan, and Tobi. The kid even cried when he found out that Sasori had died. He was probably the only one who cared.

Abandoning the boy had been the plan as well. Pein had watched the whole thing, humorously, as his leader had taken the boy to the desert.

'If you be a good boy and wait here. Your okaa-san will come for you, ok?'

Then they left, watching from a distance as the boy patiently waited, excited at the prospect of seeing a mother he never knew.

They had purposely picked that spot where the boy was sitting because any day now a pack of sand nins were going to crossed it.

They waited for three days. The leader always made sure the boy got some bits of food to eat without letting the kid know that they were watching. Seeing the kid wait was pretty entertaining. It got boring, though, and Pein had sand in places he didn't know he could get sand in. He hated the desert.

On the third day, sure enough, four sand jounin had came and the boy easily picked out who he wanted his mother to be. How funny. Of the two kunoichi there, the boy had picked the Kazekage's sister. Pein expected the girl to gush over the cute little boy and instantly pick him up. To his surprise, the kunoichi, Temari of the Sand, just threw down a canteen of water and left without looking back.

"Cold," Pein muttered. He watched as the boy got up and ran after them. He watched them the whole time they were traveling in the desert up until they reached Suna. After that, they had one of their spies report back to them.

Just like the leader predicted, the Sand nin eventually caved and took the boy in. The leader's plan went without a hitch. Get the boy attached to his new Okaa-san. Make sure nothing stands in the way of their bonding.

Then, Orochimaru had to butt himself in and Pein had to go in for damage control. Oh well. What was done was done. Beside Orochimaru, the only other surprise had been the reappearance of Uchiha Sasuke, who had came out of nowhere to protect the kid, under the guise of revenge on Orochimaru. It was understandable. The kid, Gaara is his name now, has Uchiha DNA in him. Poor kid. Not for all the money in the world would Pein want to be related to either Sasuke or Itachi. Or that orange clad idiot, Naruto.

"He stayed?"

Pein looked up when the leader arrived. "Yeah."

"Good," the leader left almost as quickly as he came.

The last part of the plan wouldn't be active for another few years, not until the boy grew up a bit more. Pein could see it now, as if the future was spelled out in front of him.

_One day, after being release from school, Gaara would walk home excited. In his hand he would hold his examination report, eager to show his mother what he scored. He would be eager to tell her about the praises his teachers showered on him, not because he was the nephew of the Kazekage, but because he had real potential. He wanted to become a jounin like his mother. His aim was no doubt to eventually become Kazekage like his namesake._

_Unable to wait, he would run all the way there, not stopping until he sees the door. The moment his hand touch the doorknob he would probably feel it. That strange wrongness. He would hasty open the door, calling for his mother only to stop in the doorway, in horror. All the boy could see was the pool of blood. His eyes and mind wouldn't allow him to acknowledge the woman lying in it. Then, at the height of his pain, his sharingan would appear, this time much stronger, much more powerful than anything seen yet, and then the leader would step in again. Ready to claim back his son._

Pein shook his head. He liked the kid. While the kid was there, Akatsuki had been a much more lively bunch. He hoped the kid enjoyed the time he had left with that sand nin. Without knowing it, Temari of the Sand's death, will bring in a whole new order to the world. One in which Akatsuki rule supreme.

* * *

Owari

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AN: Please don't kill me. Nothing in the future is set in stone. To be honest, I imagine that Sasuke would be watching over the mother and son, trying to prevent a repeat of the past. Ie. The day he found his own family murdered. Or maybe Shikamaru saves the day, future, somehow. Maybe it's Kakashi, or Naruto. Or an Iruka-kitty. Now that would be amusing. I wrote this story, because Temari is my favorite character, not just because Paku Romi is my favorite voice actress though that's a huge part of it, but because I happen to like how Temari kicks ass.

Anyway, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, so please don't sue. This fic is just something that sprung from my imagination and I hope someone out there likes it. I should mention that I have horrible grammar skills. English is not my first language, so if there's any mistakes, I'm very sorry. I know how annoying bad grammar is and I try to catch them all, but even then I'll probably miss a bunch. Anyway, Let me stop writing. Hope you enjoyed the story!


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